


Do Pearls dream about holographic sheep ?

by Practically-pearlfect (Madam_Violet)



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Homeworld is Horrible, Pink still has prejudice, White Pearl used to be Pink Pearl theory, and she's still learning about life, but she's a pure child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-07-04 08:03:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15837141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madam_Violet/pseuds/Practically-pearlfect
Summary: When Pink recieves her first Pearl as a gift, the Diamonds only wanted to keep up busy with a new toy. Instead, they gave her a new motivation to become a ruler.In which a bratty Pink learns about empathy and responsibilities.





	Do Pearls dream about holographic sheep ?

Pink Diamond was staring at the stars through the glass panel of Yellow's base, bored to death. If only the other Diamond was playing with her ! But Yellow was always working.  
"Yelloooow, I'm so bored, please, tell me again about those big floating birds that used to live on that jungle moon."  
"Pink, I'm working. Can't you just, I don't know, read the files I gave you ?"  
"But there're no pictures in it ! I want pictures."  
Yellow rolled her eyes and kept typing.  
"Yellooow, please !"  
Now Pink was looking at her with her big starry eyes and Yellow knew she wouldn't be able to resist any longer. Even if she rarely admitted it, she had a big soft spot for the young and probably overcooked Diamond. Pink was so small, eager and cute, she almost looked like an over sized Pearl. A Pearl ! Yellow congratulated herself for this idea.  
"Pink, why don't you play with Pearl ?"  
The small yellowish gem made a face that turned into a fake salesman smile when her Diamond turned to her.  
"Pearl, go with Pink in her room. Show her footage from my colonies, anything to keep her busy."  
"Yes, my Diamond."  
The smaller gem took Pink with no enthusiasm at all to her room. Pink had a room on every Diamond's base. It was a smaller scale place, with pink walls and furniture, and also cushions and soft blankets. Pink had her own place on Homeworld, but she almost never stayed away from her fellow Diamonds, so she always had a room ready for her on their bases.  
She was still angry after Yellow for ignoring her, but she followed the Pearl anyway. Pearls were funny little gems, with their graceful bodies, round heads and long noses. While other gems had distinctive traits, Pearls always looked like smaller versions of their owners. Pearls were not their own gems after all and Pink had always found them boring, silent things typing on their pads or standing by their owner's feet. Looking at Yellow's Pearl, she found this one was a cute little creature, after all. She looked so proud, almost arrogant, but considering her size and status, it was endearing more than intimidating.  
"Pearl, show me Amethysts !"  
"Yes, my Diamond."  
Pink sat on her couch and watched the hologram projected by Pearl's gem. Amethysts emerging from a Kindergarten. The young Diamond liked all Quartzes, but Amethysts were her favourite gems. They had pretty shades of purple and looked nice and friendly, unlike rude Jaspers and scary Agates. She laughed gleefully and asked for more records about Quartzes.  
Hours later, when Yellow Diamond entered the room, she found Pink still watching records from exotic places. In the end, maybe the suggestion made by Blue a few centuries ago hadn't been so futile. After all, a Pearl didn't have to be useful.

Pink Diamond made her way through the corridor of Blue's palace. She had been called for a meeting and was happy to see her fellow Diamonds, even if it meant hours of boredom. When she arrived to the council room, Blue Diamond's Pearl opened the door for her. This one was a cute little Pearl too, and Pink wondered if she held many records in her gem.  
"Pink, welcome home" Blue Diamond beamed.  
Blue's voice was always so deep and soft. Pink wanted to run and snuggle against her, but Yellow was there too and she didn't like it when Pink acted like that, spontaneous and loud like an Amethyst.  
"Pink" Yellow Diamond said with her usual commanding voice “Blue and I have a present for you.”  
She was smiling too, and Yellow's smiles were the most comforting thing Pink knew. They reminded her how much the sternest Diamond loved her. Blue stretched a hand and presented Pink with a small round gem. The young Diamond squinted and gasped when she realised what was laying inside Blue's hand.  
“Is it a Pearl ? I thought I didn't need one until I had a court and colonies !”  
The small gem glowed and formed inside the taller Diamond's palm, revealing her form. Pink gasped when she took a look at the frail figure curled in Blue's hand.  
“We thought it might be a good idea to give you a Pearl as your first gem” Yellow explained matter-of-factually.  
“She's really mine ?” Pink squealed with shiny eyes.  
The Pearl had a light pink skin and darker pink hair style with two side buns. She jumped elegantly on her feet and saluted her new Diamond.  
“My Diamond.”  
Pink giggled and scooped the Pearl under the armpits to give her a hug before putting her on the floor. The top of her head barely arrived to the level of her gem.  
“My Stars, she's so cute !”  
“Off course she's cute” Yellow said with contempt. “It's her only purpose since you don't have a court to rule yet.”  
“What Yellow means is that Pearls don't have any real purpose” Blue explained. “But that doesn't mean they're useless. She can hold things for you in her gem, and show you data when needed. Those features can help you to learn more about the universe we live in.”  
“And when you're older and have a court to rule and responsibilities, she might even do some small organization tasks for you. Pearls might not be the brightest gems on Homeworld, but a well-trained one is a valuable possession.” At those words, Yellow Pearl smiled smugly, aware of her Diamond's gaze upon her.  
“Hi, Pearl !” Pink cooed at her new companion.  
“How can I help you, my Diamond ?” the Pearl asked with an expressionless voice.  
Pink sighed.  
“A problem, sweetheart ?” Blue asked.  
“No, she's perfect !” Pink said with a hesitant smile. “It's just... She doesn't have a pretty dress like yours, or cute face expressions like Yellow's.”  
“Pearls don't have a personality of their own, they adapt themselves to their owners. If you train her well, she will be whatever you want her to be. But please, go slowly with her, Pearls are very dainty things and the slightest mess or difficulty upset them and can cause dysfunctions. Just give her simple orders to begin with, so she can easily follow them. Nothing makes a Pearl happier than order and simple requests.”  
Pink nodded at Blue's advice, giving a glance to a smiling Blue Pearl. Yellow cough.  
“Pearls like easy orders, but a bit of challenge gives them pride and intelligence.”  
On Yellow's shoulder pad, her Pearl was smirking at the poor Blue Pearl. Pink frowned. She wasn't sure she needed a clever Pearl, since she didn't really have any use for a Pearl in the first place. A cute Pearl with a frilly dress and happy smile would be enough.  
She walked back to her room followed by the young Pearl. Order and simple requests. Hmm, her room was always a bit messy. As soon as Pearl had opened the door, Pink rushed into the room and started gathering the cushions and planet models. Until she realised she had someone to do it now.  
“Pearl, clean my room !” she ordered in a childish imitation of Yellow Diamond.  
“Yes, my Diamond.”  
Pearl started picking objects, putting them in her gem. When she was done, Pink was sitting at her computer terminal, looking through files. Pearl was standing still beside her, silent and really adorable.  
“Aww, you're so cute I can't concentrate on my work.”  
“I'm sorry, my Diamond. Do you want me to leave you to your duty ?”  
“Nah, it's not that important” Pink said with a dismissive gesture of the hand. “Wait, could you memorise some of this for me ?”  
“Yes, my Diamond”  
Pearl put her small hand on the screen and data flowed to her gem.  
“Wow !” Pink chirped, clapping her hands. “Now I don't have to learn all those boring stuff, I can just go Pearl, show me the Beta Kindergarten report ! Like Yellow does. Eh eh, it's so cool !”  
Pearl was smiling too, so Pink guessed she was happy to help. Pearls were amazing.  
“Could you... learn all my library ?” Pink asked mischievously.  
“Yes my Diamond !”  
“And my videos too ?”  
“Off course, my Diamond ?”  
Pink watched gleefully as her very own Pearl stored all the information in her gem. Why couldn't Diamonds do that, it looked really handy. In less than half an hour, everything she had on her computer was in the little gem's memory.  
“Awesome ! Now show me a video !”  
“Yes, my Diamond. Which one ?”  
“Hmm, the one with the Peridots. I like Peridots, always on their pads, enumerating series of numbers without watching where they go, and calling each other clods when they collide.”  
Pearl nodded and her gem started to glow, showing a very neat hologram of Pink's funniest video. It was a report sent to Yellow Diamond a few decades ago. Of course, Yellow had just rolled her eyes at the disaster, but Pink had laughed so hard she had thrown a tantrum until she was given the record. She was giggling at the litany of swear words the tiny green gems yelled in the background when the image started glitching. Pink frowned and turned to Pearl.  
She felt a blown of panic when she saw the small gem flicker, her eyes rolling unfocused, and limbs tensing.  
“Stop !” she yelled. “That will be all !”  
The hologram stopped, but Pearl was now clutching her hands around her elbows in panic. Pink bit her lower lip. Yellow would get mad at her if she ever learned she had broken a Pearl on the first day. And the poor thing seemed in pain. Think, Pink ! What would Yellow do ? What would Blue do ?  
“That's alright ! Hmm, when her Pearl had done a good job, Yellow let her climb in her palm and puts her on her shoulder pad for the rest of the day. Oh Stars, I'm too small to take you on my shoulder. Do you want to rest on my lap ?”  
Saying that, Pink sat on her couch, settling comfortably on the plush pillows.  
“Pearl, lie down, put your head on my lap !”  
Pearl obeyed, and Pink carefully put a cushion under her little head. But it wasn't enough, Pearl was still in pain. What would Blue do ? Blue's Pearl always looked so relaxed and content. When she was happy with her Pearl, she usually patted her hair softly. Pink started stroking the small gem's head hoping it would help. She liked it too when Blue let her hand play in her pastel pink curls. Pearls probably liked the same kind of comforting gestures than Diamonds like Pink. Grabbing a fluffy blanket, she wrapped Pearl in it and started rocking her softly. Slowly, the little gem became less tense, relaxing until she was limp and motionless, safe for a few twitching. Pink was a bit worried, but a small, content smile had replaced the distressed expression on Pearl's face.  
“So cute...” Pink muttered again. “I'm so sorry I hurt you. I didn't mean to, and I promise I won't ever harm you again. I'll only give you simple requests, and I'll make sure my room isn't a mess. And if you're bored I'll give you a bit of challenge so you become smart and confident like Yellow's Pearl. You're mine and I'll do my best to make you happy.”  
Pink had tears forming in the corner of her eyes when Pearl's gem started glowing. The young Diamond removed the blanket and watched silently the hologram displayed by the circular gem. In the moving picture, Pearl was standing in a white area, surrounded by files. She was silently ordering them by alphabetical order. A lot of work for such a freshly emerged gem, Pink thought with a bit of guilt. But the Pearl looked happy with herself as the library was taking form. Pearls were made for order after all. When she was finished with her work, the small gem sat to contemplate the perfectly organised library, a little smile playing on her lips.  
After a moment, she let herself drop on the hard floor and curled around her navy gem. The surrounding setting changed to a pinkish organic cave. It looked slimy and pretty disgusting, but Pink remembered it was how Pearls were made. They didn't emerge from Kindergarten like other gems but were secreted by those rock-like organics called oysters. That was the reason why Pearls weren't real gems and didn't have an actual purpose on Homeworld other than being cute and tidy. She looked so serene in there, Pink felt a bit bad they had taken her away just to be given as a present. Suddenly, the oyster was forced open and Pearl curled tighter. The big blue hand that seized her looked terrifying. She was then handed to another hand, a yellow one, that poofed her physical form with no effort, like you smash a ball of dirt. Then it became dark, with scary voices in the background. Pearl was lost and panicked when she finally reformed in the same blue hand that had taken her away from her initial shelter. Pink was clenching to her pillows, one hand stroking protectively Pearl's hair.  
The blue hand dropped Pearl to another hand, pink, this one. But unlike the other gigantic hands, this one wasn't scary at all. It looked soft and warm. A face appeared too. In Pearl's memories, Pink was as tall as Blue and Yellow, and a lot more beautiful than she was in real life. Her voice was soft too, almost chanting sweet and unintelligible words. Pearl was curled around her gem once again, and it almost felt like she was back to the Kindergarten. Pink smiled and carefully covered her in a blanket without hiding the gem. Pearl sighed contently and burrowed her nose closer into Pink's lap. The Diamond kept petting her head with delight.  
Pearl was now in a Kindergarten, standing by Pink Diamond's side. Peridots were running around, busy and moody like Peridots are and Pink was laughing everytime someone shouted “Hey, clod !”.  
The picture blurred again, and they were in another place, in a building full of Amethysts. The Amethysts were laughing together and Pink was sharing the fun. She could barely recognise herself in this beautiful picture of a gem. A luscious, shining Diamond glistening on the immaterial surface of the hologram. But more than that, a warm, comforting presence admired and loved by everyone, from the chirping Peridots to the loud Amethysts. Pink really loved what she saw. For the first time, she could see what a Diamond was to a lesser gem, and what kind of Diamond she wanted to be. Not a big, scary one, but a protecting, loving one.  
The image blurred again, and this time, Pearl woke up. She looked around, confused by her return to reality, but the worried expression turned into a bright smile when she noticed her Diamond's face.  
“Hello, Pearl ! Did you sleep well ?”  
“Yes, my Diamond.”  
“Great ! One day, when I have a colony, I'll to take you with me and show you everything, like we did in your dream. Promise of Pink Diamond !”  
Pearl blushed.  
“Thank you, my Diamond” she stuttered with awe.

**Author's Note:**

> My first Steven Universe fic !


End file.
